Theory of Knowledge - Course Companion for Students Marija Uzunova Dang Arvin Singh Uzunov Dang

II. Perspectives
said to be in crisis. A new paradigm was
was
accepted or looked for—the scientific
then
part. How exactly this happened
revolution
from case to case, and could be
differed
by non-scientific factors such
influenced
money, fame, personalities and national
as
does Hacking’s view in the quote above
How
with Popper’s view of science?
compare
influential was Kuhn? Debates about this
How
for years after his book was published,
raged
his views have been influential. Before
but
presented his theory, we had ideals
Kuhn
what science aspires to do. From Kuhn,
about
have a perspective about what scientists
we
do. To understand and evaluate his
actually
we can examine case studies of paradigm
view
and analyse the hows and whys of
shifts,
theiroccurrence.
from the Western scientific tradition of
Examples
last few centuries include:
the
the Copernican revolution in 1542, which
•
that the Earth is not the centre of the
showed
Newton’s model of mechanics replacing
•
theories in 1687
Aristotle’s
the chemical revolution in 1783, in which
•
theories replaced the phlogiston
Lavoisier’s
Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection
•
1859 in
quantum mechanics replacing classical
•
in 1905
mechanics
the theory of electromagnetic radiation
•
1905 in
Einstein’s general relativity replacing
•
gravity in 1919.
Newton’s
on this list, natural science appears to have
Based
calm for over a century. Does that mean
been
are overdue for a revolution in the natural
we
Or could it be that the natural sciences
sciences?
become exceptionally good at dispelling
have
Or that revolutions are shorter, faster
anomalies?
some estimates, The Structure of Scientific
By
has sold around 1.5 million copies
Revolutions
attracting a readership well outside
worldwide,
history and philosophy of science. A work
the
such reputation is expected to attract some
of
One critical perspective, for example,
criticism.
that Kuhn’s theory was based on
asserts
and conceptual shifts in physics,
theoretical
should not be generalized to other
which
Another argues that revolutions in
disciplines.
are more common and less dramatic
science
Kuhn describes. Notable revolutions in
than
have had comparably minor elements
science
crisis or revisionism, such as the discovery of
of
structure of DNA. Yet, few would go back
the
defending the Whig view of science. As we
to
into the 21st century, with eScience,
continue
methodologies and blockchain
data-driven
we will need new theories of
workflows,
change beyond falsificationism and
scientific
shifts, that account for contemporary
paradigm
and insights.
challenges
7
theory
interest.
Normal science
• the germ theory of disease in 1880
Paradigm shift
Revolution
Kuhn cycle
Drift
Crisis
Figure 7.2
Th Kuhn yl
or less disruptive?
Normal science does not aim at novelty but at
clearing up the status quo. It tends to discover what it
expects to discover.
(Hacking 2012)
universe, but instead revolves around the sun
172